Sommaire pour December 2021 de Wheels

AS A RELATIVE latecomer to the electrification game, Ford has finally unveiled more about its plans to transition its line-up locally – though those hoping for big changes may have to wait a while yet. Ford Australia is holding back on creating concrete targets to introduce electric vehicles here, committing to bringing just five Down Under by 2024 – spearheaded by the E-Transit detailed below), with an Escape PHEV to follow closely behind. Beyond revealing the firm’s intentions to launch those two cars in the near future, CEO and President of Ford Australia Andrew Birkic remained tight-lipped when asked about the company’s targets to bring EVs to the local market. Speaking to Wheels, Birkic wouldn’t provide details around whether the remaining three vehicles will be fully-electric or hybrid, or whether…

FOR AN EXPONENT of silent motoring, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is making quite a noise. The buzz surrounding the South Korean EV has nothing to do with its new dedicated battery electric vehicle platform that shares 800-volt rapid-charging capability with the Porsche Taycan and will underpin a large assortment of Hyundai Group models. Instead, it has everything to do with the crossover’s stunning retro-futuristic design – a metallic origami of chiselled panels and creases that combine with glorious details such as pixelated cubic LED head- and tail-lights, door strakes, and the first clamshell bonnet seen on a Hyundai. The short-overhanged, five-door body with a limousine-like three-metre wheelbase also disguises a footprint only slightly longer than the company’s Tucson mid-sized SUV and virtually as wide as the Santa Fe seven-seater SUV.…

NORTHERN TERRITORY Free registration for five years from July next year. Stamp duty discount of $1500 for EVs up to $50,000. QUEENSLAND EV owners pay reduced stamp duty – $2 per $100 up to $100,000 and then $4 per $100 thereafter. That compares to $6 per $100 for conventionally powered vehicles. NSW Rebate of $3000 for new EVs valued up to $68,750 (with 25,000 rebates offered). No stamp duty for EVs under $78,000. NSW is eyeing a similar 2.5c/km EV tax as Victoria but it’s been shelved until at least 2027. FEDERAL EVs are subject to a higher Luxury Car Tax threshold of $79,659 compared to $69,152 for non-EV vehicles, saving up to $3152. AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY No stamp duty for EVs. Two years’ free registration. Interest-free loans up to…

one WILL EVs GET CHEAPER TO BUY BRAND NEW? More affordable models from mainstream brands are in the pipeline, while economies of scale as larger volumes of EVs are produced industrywide will lower costs and accessibility of EVs in Australia. EV purchase price is projected to be on par with ICE models in the US by 2024, and Europe by 2027, so may reach parity in Australia shortly after. two IS THE ELECTRICITY GRID READY FOR MORE EVs? It’s debatable. Australia’s National Energy Market (NEM) covers 21 million Australians as the largest grid in the world and is in the midst of its own revitalisation, as many coal-fired stations are approaching their end-oflife. Debate over what to replace them with continues – EVs may help stability by feeding into the…

Price as tested $52,000 This month 406km @ 9.2L/100km Overall 406km @ 9.2L/100km THE FOUR YEARS spent waiting for the Hyundai i30 N DCT have felt like an eternity. Back in 2017, after Hyundai coaxed former BMW M boss Albert Biermann away from retirement to build its first hot hatch, and to raging success, everyone knew the i30 N would never realise its sales potential until it delivered one thing: an automatic option. Yet, Hyundai was already developing an eight-speed dual-clutch. At that stage the prototype ’box could already handle lofty torque limits, something which denied the i30 SR’S dry-clutch seven speed DCT from ever partnering with the i30 N’s grunty 2.0-litre four-banger. Anticipation grew for the transmission as Hyundai announced a provisional late-2019 launch. But Hyundai was, in fact,…

Price as tested $39,169 This month 353km @ 10.4L/100km Overall 4759km @ 10.3L/100km HERE WE ARE at the end, and it’s been a good thing, this new-generation family SUV. With its spacious cabin, near-premium fit and finish, modern and user-friendly infotainment, and headturning looks, the Tucson is an easy one to recommend. Still, it’s not all roses and sunshine. In its cheapest 2.0-litre petrol forms, the Tucson’s pulling power is adequate rather than genuinely fit for purpose. Never outright disappointing, but neither is it ever satisfying. Drive configuration aside, Hyundai’s latest offerings have one standout bug – lane-keep assistance. Too often, my Tucson tester has worked so obsessively to keep me from the gutter on my right that it’s properly thrown me towards the clear and bright lane markings on…

THE MG TC Midget is the archetypal, funny old pre-World War 2 sports car, except that it was launched just weeks after the end of World War 2, in October 1945. MG, whose Abingdon factory had spent the previous six years overhauling tanks and armoured cars, was not the only car maker to reissue a pre-war model, but a range of factors conspired to make the TC a worldwide watershed moment for sports cars. MG had launched its first Midget model, the M-Type, in 1929. With a chassis and engine derived from the 1928 Morris Minor, it was fun and very affordable. It led to the J-Type Midget of 1932, with a modern (but delicate) 1.0-litre Wolseley overhead cam engine, and the P-Type of 1934. In early-1936 came the TA…

AHYBRID 911 (code 994) will be the first step to electrification for Porsche’s iconic sports car, followed by the full-electric 998-gen car before the end of the decade. Porsche’s plan for the 911’s electrification is a bold transformation strategy – with plenty of imponderables. Like which type of battery to use, how to package it, and what shape to choose for minimum drag with maximum 911-ness. This story is a work in progress – progress that began in the last decade. While we tapped a variety of sources to shed light on the means and the end, a lot can change between now and 2028. But the wheels are in motion. As Michael Steiner, Porsche’s R&D boss puts it: “Deciding too early can be wrong. But deciding too late is…

Keep it tight (no more than 200 words) and do include your suburb if via email: wheels@wheelsmag.com.au You can also have your say on Facebook (search for Wheels Australia), Instagram or Twitter “There are many utes with unregulated but popular modifications that exceed the limits of the vehicle” MODS AND CONS I ENJOYED READING the Car vs SUV vs Ute feature (Wheels, October). It was timely, evidence based and unbiased – all qualities which have made me long-term subscriber of the magazine. I would have loved the article to go a step further; there are many dual-cab utes with bull bars, driving lights, rod holders, bash plates, winches, etc. Unregulated but popular modifications will exceed the design limits of the vehicles. I once submitted a dual-cab fitted with a heavy-duty…

IT’S A COMMON product strategy in the modern automotive business: when a sporting car gets long in the tooth and the base model is nearing a complete redesign, it’s time to debut the stonking model. In the majority of instances the end result is predictable. Sure, the car’s quicker, perhaps a little louder, visually distinctive, but more often than not, it’s just not that special. The BMW M5 CS is one of those end-of-the-line rigs and it’s the first 5 Series in history to receive the CS designation. From the earliest E28 through to the E60, these M specials were known simply as M5s. Then, with the F10, BMW muddied the waters and offered customers an appealing Competition Package, which increased power and buttoned-down the suspension. With this latest F90…

THE ELECTRIC revolution has well and truly begun. Pressured by regulation, the world’s car companies are investing truly eye-watering sums to convert their entire product portfolios from petrol to electric, all within the next decade or so – an incredible engineering challenge, but one in which they don’t really have a choice. In Australia, where electric models are hoped by some to make up 50 percent of all new car sales by 2030 (last year it was 1.28 percent), the trickle of electric models is turning into a stream. This is despite manufacturers putting Australia low on the priority list for red-hot new electric models, as demand surges in other countries off the back of generous government incentives. Where not that long ago there was just one or two electric…

1. Mercedes-Benz EQE WHAT IS IT? Mercedes’ own crack at the Tesla Model S. Shaping up as a range warrior for the German brand’s growing EQ range, the initial E-Class-sized EQE 350 will be reardrive, powered by a 215kW/530Nm single electric motor with up to 660km of range. The EQE also boasts a super-slippery 0.20Cd drag coefficient to be the most aerodynamic new car ever made. Inside, the enormous Hyperscreen is the stuff of fingerprint nightmares but does look cool. More potent dual-motor, AWD versions will follow. WHEN’S IT DUE: H2 2022 HOW MUCH: $200,000 (estimated) 2. VW ID4 WHAT IS IT? The mid-size SUV ID4 is on track to be VW Australia’s first model on the new, electric MEB platform (with the ID3 hatch set to follow shortly after),…

If the Australian market was a rental house, Cupra would be the tenant who applies without a reference IN 2022, THE Australian automotive landscape will gain an all-new premium European brand bringing a range of sporty passenger and SUV models carrying the Cupra moniker. But not only is the intriguing line-up completely new to the nation, its closest relation SEAT hasn’t been sold Down Under since a brief tenure in the mid-1990s and, since then, the contextual trail has gone decidedly cold. If the Australian new-car market was a rental house, then Cupra would be the suspicious tenant that applies without a reference and lists previous addresses starting with Her Majesty’s… Except this hopeful newcomer actually has one very reputable referee to its name – Volkswagen. A complete understanding of…

IF BYSTANDER attention and commentary were Wheels ratings criteria, the Genesis GV80 would hose this comparison. Easily. It remains as relentless now as when the family hauling newcomer first lobbed just under a year ago, but with one crucial difference. There’s little ‘what is it?’, nor, ‘Is that a Bentley?’ aimed my way. Onlookers, by and large, now ask how it goes and if it’s any good. The fledgling Korean luxury marque now looks to have one leg over one painful initial hurdle in Australia: brand recognition. It’s been a rocky introduction to this new Genesis renaissance, one stymied by a lack of metal on the ground to let local prospective buyers decide what they think of the GV80’s distinctive pitch. Getting any traction demands public reaction, be it fair…

Price as tested $65,500 This month 256km @ 6.4L/100km Total 893km @ 6.9L/100km AWHILE BACK, I stepped out for lunch with a colleague to a local bakery. I put in my order and listened in bemusement as my friend requested his. “I’ll grab a white roll, with white chicken – and mayo, please.” I couldn’t help but quip, “Could you possibly be any whiter!?” As a colour, white is often thought of as being very safe and boring. When it comes to cars, white paint generally gets associated with fleet cars or unmarked police vehicles. And let’s not even get into the argument about white not actually being a colour at all… But the white UX250h which currently sits in my driveway looks anything but boring. The Sonic Quartz paint…

WE’LL NEVER REALLY know just how many Alpine A110s could have sold in Australia if Renault hadn’t faced any major obstacles. And we don’t mean obstacles like the Porsche Cayman. Less than two years into its time on the Australian market, Alpine’s reborn icon was hindered by a global pandemic and a semiconductor shortage, which led to niche performance cars either being off the shopping list, or difficult to access to those who wanted one. But the challenges of 2020 seem gentle compared to the ruling that would thwart the A110 completely, Australian Design Rule 85/00. We’ll call it ADR 85, the rule proposed by Australia in 2010 to the UN’s Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations. As its sub-title ‘Pole Side Impact Performance’ suggests, it focuses on safety in…

PORSCHE’S ENGINES WILL keep running for a good few years yet, helped by a Porsche/Siemens project to produce synthetic fuel – which they call eFuel – that isn’t based on fossils and produces negligible CO2. Work has begun on a plant in Chile that, by 2030, will produce 550 million litres of eFuel a year. Initially it will be used in the Porsche Supercup race series, and at Porsche Experience Centres. It might be made available to other manufacturers, and even F1 depending on the details of a distribution system yet to be mapped out. Chile is particularly well-suited to the creation of eFuel thanks to its strong, consistent winds, which provide a CO2-neutral way of powering the process in which usable hydrogen is extracted from water for conversion into…

DUE Q4 KIA SORENTO PHEV AND HYBRID The 1.6-litre turbo-four PHEV is now available in Oz, with the series hybrid coming late Nov, both in top-spec GT-Line. At $79,330, the PHEV boasts a new drive mode, ‘Terrain’, and a 68km electric-only range. It’s a hefty $16K more expensive than the equivalent diesel GT Line, but the equipment list is extensive: heated and vented Nappa leather seats, heated wheel and more. DUE Q1 POLESTAR 2 Tesla’s Model 3 is on notice as Polestar 2 arrives in January from $59,900 for the Standard Range. Long-Range Single- and Dual-Motor versions will cost more, the latter packing 300kW and 660Nm. Single-Motor versions still pack 165/170kW (Standard and Long Range) and 330Nm. Standard Range is up to 440km, Long Range 540km with Single or 480km…

THE BEST front-wheel drive performance car ever? It’s hard to go past the original Honda Integra Type R DC2. Sir Alec Issigonis’ Mini may’ve set the benchmark for innovative packaging, while Volkswagen’s Golf GTI carved a niche as a hot-hatch champion. Yet the first Type R is an icon of pure, free-revving performance and utterly absorbing driver involvement like no other car. The engagement, response and agility came with the guttural sound of the world’s highest specific-output 1.8-litre, a hand-crafted, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder bellowing when its VTEC lungs opened in full swing towards its 8400rpm redline. It created a cult of followers, and it was easy to see why. One drive and you’d be hooked for life. Frankly, unless you lived in Japan, it took Honda years to deliver another Type…

SETTLING INTO the driver’s seat of the new NX350h is to arrive at the current core of the Lexus universe. This petrol-electric-powered medium SUV is the brand’s most important model. The NX accounts for one-third of Lexus sales in both Europe and Australia, somewhat less in massive markets like North America and China. And increasingly, pretty much everywhere, Lexus buyers are more frequently choosing hybrid power. In the emissions- and efficiency-conscious nations of Western Europe, for example, more than 90 percent of Lexus sales are petrol-electric. Scheduled to arrive in Australia in January, the slightly larger second-generation NX will replace the original launched way back in 2014. While the best-seller in the current range is the 300 variant with a turbo four, Lexus Australia expects the 350h hybrid to be…

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Under $50K THE WHEELS PICK Hyundai Ioniq Electric FWD, 100kW/295Nm, 1527kg, 0-100km/h 9.9sec, 311km WLTP range, $48,970 The somewhat humble Ioniq Electric remains the best value (if not cheapest) electric car in Australia. Not particularly accelerative, nothing particularly special about its range, but you do get that clearer conscience, lovely electric motor driveability and refinement, and rock-solid modern Hyundai build quality. Just try not to think about all the much cheaper, arguably better, equivalent-sized petrol-powered alternatives. MG ZS EV FWD, 105kW/353Nm, 1532kg, 0-100km/h 8.2sec, 263km WLTP range, $43,990 Australia’s cheapest EV might be made in China, but isn’t that true of most of the stuff you buy? We wouldn’t be too quick to write it off either way, as MG is trying hard to produce a quality EV at a…

SO YOU WANT to buy an EV? Okay, we are going to guess you’ve got a garage or driveway, you park on the street, or you live in an apartment complex. One of the three, anyway. If you have a garage or driveway, you can plug the car into a conventional 240v wall socket using the supplied charging cable. However, these cables are more intended for emergency recharging and are the slowest by a considerable margin. The typical maximum current from a wall socket (2.4kW) is about half as powerful as a dedicated ‘wall charger’. One of these is really mandatory if you want your car fully charged at the start of each day. Wall chargers cost between $1000 and $2500 with installation by a licensed electrician an additional $1000…

Cavalcade is for super-clients; the kind of people who buy ‘specials’ like the LaFerrari, or the Icona Monza cars IT MUST BE galling to lay down cash for your first new Ferrari, thinking that this must also buy you some status with its maker, only to discover that there are multiple levels of privilege and access which you didn’t know existed until you bought one, and you’re still at the bottom. Let’s say you’d heard about Cavalcade, the annual four-day road rally Ferrari organises each year in a different Italian region. It costs A$40,000 to enter a car and a crew of two. Your business is doing okay and the cost might only be 10 percent of what you paid for your car, so you ask the salesman at your…

Price as tested $57,490 This month 551km @ 9.6L/100km Total 551km @ 9.6L/100km REGULAR READERS may have noticed a pattern starting to develop among the Wheels long-term fleet. Recently, nearly everything has hailed from South Korea or been an SUV; more often than not, it’s been both. The arrival of Felipe’s angular Lexus UX last issue provided some welcome diversity, but this month I’m here to shake things up even further. Enter the Peugeot 508 GT Fastback; a car that’s about as far removed from ‘mainstream’ and ‘conventional’ as you can get. One glance is all you need to know that this car is proudly individual. It really is striking to behold, especially when bright sun hits this shade of Celebes Blue paint (a no-cost option), and the 508 isn’t…